PARTICIPANT MEDIA TEAMS WITH ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS TO DISTRIBUTE SUNDANCE AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER CIRCUMSTANCE IN THE U.S.

Roadside Attractions will handle US distribution of Maryam Keshavarz’s CIRCUMSTANCE, which Participant Media acquired at the Sundance Film Festival, it was announced today by Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff, Co-Presidents of Roadside Attractions, and Ricky Strauss, President of Participant Media. Winner of this year’s Sundance Audience Award, the film is set in contemporary Iran, where a wealthy family struggles to contain a teenager’s growing sexual rebellion and her brother’s dangerous obsession. The film is targeted for a summer 2011 release. In addition to making her directorial debut with CIRCUMSTANCE, Keshavaz produced the film with Karin Chien and Melissa M. Lee, with Christina Won serving as executive producer. Roadside Attractions and Participant last partnered on the Academy Award-winning documentary THE COVE.

“Sundance audiences clearly loved this gorgeous, cool, thought-provoking film as much as we did,” says d’Arbeloff, “We think it has enormous potential for many different types of audiences, and we’re thrilled to be working with our friends at Participant on it.”

“CIRCUMSTANCE is one of those truly mesmerizing films that connects with the audience in a very powerful way, and we are looking forward to joining with Roadside Attractions to bring our first foreign language offering to U.S. audiences,” says Strauss.

The deal was negotiated by Cohen and d’Arbeloff for Roadside Attractions and Jeff Ivers, Chief Operating Officer for Participant Media.

Roadside Attractions is a film distribution company committed to championing independent films with a willingness to entertain. The company’s 2009 release, THE COVE, captured the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary, and this year its 6 Oscar nominations — four, including Best Picture, for Debra Granik’s WINTER’S BONE, and two, including Best Foreign Language Film, for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s BIUTIFUL, — solidified its position as an innovator on the indie distributor landscape. The company recently partnered with Lionsgate to acquire Robert Redford’s THE CONSPIRATOR starring James McAvoy and Robin Wright, Dan Rush’s EVERYTHING MUST GO starring Will Ferrell and Rebecca Hall and J.C. Chandor’s MARGIN CALL starring Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany and Jeremy Irons. Other films on its 2011 slate include THUNDER SOUL, directed by Mark Landsman and executive produced by Jamie Foxx, and Sundance acquisitions PROJECT NIM, directed by James Marsh (MAN ON WIRE) and THE FUTURE, directed by Miranda July.

Participant Media is an entertainment company that focuses on documentary and narrative feature films, television, publishing and digital content about the real issues that shape our lives. For each of its projects, Participant creates social action and advocacy programs to transform the impact of the media experience into individual and community action. Participant’s online Social Action Network is TakePart (takepart.com). Founded by Chairman Jeff Skoll in 2004, Jim Berk serves as CEO and Ricky Strauss as President. Participant’s films include THE KITE RUNNER, CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK., THE VISITOR, FOOD, INC., THE COVE, THE CRAZIES, COUNTDOWN TO ZERO, WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN” and FAIR GAME.